The Vampire Prince’s Bride

Chapter 1

***

The earth rumbled with the sound of a thousand hooves clashing down on it. Great spears were drawn high, swords glistened in the blinding sunlight, and tension of both man and beast could be felt stretching across the vast wasteland.

King Nazar marched forward, his silver mare pawing restlessly at the earth. He wore a brilliant white armor with silver enameled scales, with black chasings and clasps. His helm glistened as he marched, and even though the heat was getting to him, he kept his head high and his back straight.

Three thousand men rode behind him, none of them fearing the inevitable. They knew what would come soon, but they marched towards their death with a courage in their hearts that could rival the warriors of old.

"Lord Ciarán, take your men down the left flank," King Nazar commanded. "You will collapse on them from the north when they least expect it."

Lord Ciarán, clad in a bronze armor which looked almost a hundred years old, bowed his head and rode off to the left. The great horn of House Castamore rolled across the earth, and six hundred men answered the call. As they pulled away, King Nazar turned to the man who rode to his right.

"Lord Dolan," he said, "you will take the right flank. Fear not the foul creatures which will soon descend upon us. They do not hold any power over us, for we fight with God on our side."

Lord Dolan, the largest man to have ever saddled a horse in the whole of Dridell, bowed his head and rode off south. The horn of House Dallin sounded thrice, and eight hundred men followed the call. King Nazar watched them ride off before he turned to the woman riding beside him. Lady Delicia of House Daramount was the only woman on the battle field, but her courage was greater than even the men's.

"Are you with me?" King Nazar asked, drawing his blade which had been doused in holy water severally.

Lady Delicia drew her twin blades, each of them glistening in the sunlight and also imbibed with holy water.

"To the death, Your Grace," she said.

"And you, Lord Cole?" he turned to his left. "Are you with me?"

"Now, and always, Your Grace," Lord Cole replied, his great battle axe already drawn.

"Then march under my banner," King Nazar said. "And may the spirit of God be with us."

And then they saw the creatures descending from the east, nearly five hundred of them.

From afar, one could almost imagine that they were humans. They looked like humans, and walked like them and talked like them. But from their ashen skin and sharp fangs, it was soon detected what their true nature was.

They wore no armor, as they expected the battle to be over quickly. King Nazar had chosen to meet in broad daylight, so that their powers might be weakened. But even now, as they glided over the earth towards him, he knew that all was not well.

"Forward!" he thundered, lifting his sword high. "Fear not! God stands on our side. And we shall vanquish the enemy by His Grace. Forward, and make your houses proud!"

Three powerful blast came from behind him, and the army roared in unison. King Nazar galloped straight at the enemy, and behind him nearly two thousand men ran towards the enemy.

Overhead, the banner of the Royal family blazed, a holy cross topped with a crown and a grapevine winding around it. The enemies saw this even from afar, and their will broke. A few turned to run, but they could not outpace the King of Dridell, whose fury could almost scorch the earth. Lady Delicia almost caught up to him, but even with the speed of her black stallion, she could not catch the King.

The two armies clashed together, and great cries went up in all directions. The vampires, skilled in their attack, slashed at anything that moved with their claws. Their fangs sunk into humans and animals alike, but almost immediately they would be greeted with the kiss of steel. King Nazar took the heads of three within the first thirty seconds of attack. Lady Delicia had killed seven already, while Lord Cole slashed through the air madly, taking limb after limb with each swing.

The vampires, fearing for their lives, turned and fled when they saw that there was no hope. The humans were much too powerful, and much too prepared. As they fled in terror, King Nazar urged his men forward. Cheers of victory went up everywhere as they drove the vampires back.

Even as they fled, it was only to meet more doom as two factions of the Dridellian army descended from the north and the south. Lord Dolan and Lord Ciarán thundered downhill, and the vampires were cut off from their escape. Spears flew at their hearts, and swords swung at their faces. In less than ten minutes, the army had laid waste to their enemies. Only one vampire remained, and he was badly wounded.

King Nazar rode up beside him, his sword dripping with the blood of the creatures he'd slain.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

The vampire spat at his feet in reply.

"Very well. You will carry a message back to King Lazaro. Tell him to withdraw his forces from my land, and order his people to leave. Your hunting will not be tolerated here anymore. Do this, and we shall spare you all. But if he resists, then we shall slay each and every last one of you."

The vampire, a young lad who couldn't be more than three hundred years old, nodded hesitantly before he vanished east. A great cheer rose behind him as the men saw the last of their enemies vanquished.

King Nazar turned to his wardens.

"We will not celebrate yet," he said. "Bury the ones who've fallen among us. Then do a headcount and see how many men we lost. Only after honoring them will we be allowed to celebrate.

But celebration came much sooner than King Nazar had expected. As he rode back to their former campsite with their hearts swelling in joy, a pigeon descended on his shoulder.

"What's this?" he asked, noticing the small piece of paper wrapped to its leg. He grabbed the bird and removed the paper from its leg.

As soon as he saw the writing, he recognized it as Ophelia's hand. The message was short, but it filled his heart with more happiness than he'd ever felt. It said:

Queen Regan delivered two daughters at dawn. Both mother and daughters are fine. Congratulations, Your Majesty.

That night, the celebration was tenfold what was normally expected. Every now and again, the men would toast to the King's health, and to the health of his daughters. The throne of Dridell would finally have an heir, and no ones joy could match King Nazar. He left the battle that night, to return to Hyland and celebrate with his queen.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the woods of Kovia, a little boy had just taken down his first prey. And as he drank its blood hungrily, he was oblivious to the fact that somewhere in the west, completely unaware of his existence, his destiny awaited him in a golden crib by a window.

*

Adaria and Ravena had flaming red hair, just like their mother. Their small limbs were wrapped in matching shawls and they were laid in a golden crib with the Royal crest above it. King Nazar stared down into their cribs with his heart nearly bursting with joy.

“I’m glad they look like you,” he said, barking in laughter. “God alone knows what would have happened if they inherited my nose.”

“Don’t flatter me, Your Grace,” Queen Regan said. “We both know that isn’t the case.”

“I think this one has my chin though,” he said, pointing at Ravena. “And look, she even has the mark across it.”

“I noticed,” Queen Regan said.

The King straightened up, smiling at his beloved. She’d been in bed ever since the birth, too strained to do anything else. It had taken a toll on her, but she was getting better by the minute.

“You wanted a boy, didn’t you?” she said as he made his way towards her.

“Don’t ever say that again,” King Nazar said as he sat on the burgundy sheets. “It doesn’t matter. All I wanted was an heir, and you’ve given me two in one attempt. That’s more than I could have hoped for. Thank you.”

He took her hand in his, smiling at her.

“We will raise them well. And one day, they shall rule over Dridell with wisdom and justice. Our people will obey them, as they have obeyed me. And they shall make this kingdom greater than it ever was.”

Queen Regan’s brows creased, and she sat up slowly.

“What about the Kovians?” she asked. The question had been troubling her for months now, ever since she discovered her pregnancy. How would her daughters grow up in a kingdom which was at war? What if someone made an attempt at their lives?

“The Kovians are defeated,” King Nazar said. “Lazaro will have gotten the message from our last battle. He cannot hope to defeat us when the power of the almighty is behind us. His vampire vermin may be powerful, but we’re more powerful than they ever will be.”

“I hope so,” Queen Regan said. “War is a terrible thing. And to raise a child in it will be a great task indeed.”

“All is well, my love,” the King said. “Kovia will surrender. And then we can put this behind us once and for all.”

Ravena coughed in her crib, and the King and Queen immediately looked up. They smiled at her sleeping figure, just as a knock came on the door.

“Enter,” King Nazar said.

Ophelia walked into the room with her head bowed. She wore a white gown in celebration, her diamond necklace resting just at the base of her throat. The gown—an ivory silk with grey lace overlay—seemed to sparkle from the sunlight streaming in through the open window.

“Your Graces,” she said, curtsying before the King and Queen. “I just came to check on the princesses.”

“They’re doing fine,” Queen Regan said. “Although I think Adaria will need to be doused in some more of those oils you rubbed on them earlier.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” she replied. Her eyes darted to the crib, where both girls were sleeping peacefully. For a moment, she felt the mark on her arm burn. Her master was getting impatient. But he would have to wait a little bit longer.

“Micah has taken over the preparations for the ceremony,” Ophelia told them. “Invitations have already been sent out, and the Great Hall has been cleared out. Shall I order for the pigs from the town, Your Grace?”

“You should take care of everything, Ophelia,” the King said. “I wish to spend as much time as I can with my Queen.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” she said, bowing her head once again.

“Send word to my wardens,” he said. “They shall join in the celebration. We will have not just one day of festivities, but one whole week. I want no expense spared.”

“Naturally, Your Grace,” Ophelia said. “And the people?”

“Let them come,” he said. “This joy is not ours alone, but should be shared with all of my people. Dridellians from every corner of the world are welcome to celebrate with us.”

Indeed, the celebration was already in full swing as the whole of Hyland drank to the princess’s health. The people danced in the streets, and the poets were already creating beautiful sonnets in honor of the future heirs.

The celebration carried long into the night, and while the Royal family retired to sleep, the streets of Hyland still rumbled with life.

One person in the palace was also awake however, apart from the guards and a few servants. She hadn’t slept a wink in days now, since her mark had taken to burning nonstop.

Ophelia had taken an invisibility potion before she set out that night. The potion was of her own making, so she had nothing to worry about. As she strode through the hallways, an odd sense of calm befell her. She knew what she had to do, and she was ready to do it no matter what happened.

As she passed a window, she stopped to look out at the pale moonlight. A cold breeze was drifting past, singing a low melody in the night. Ophelia raised her hand to the moon, but she saw nothing. The potion was doing its job. She felt light, almost as if she was floating in a dream.

A guard passed her as she stood by the window, and he came so close to brushing her that Ophelia almost panicked. But there was no need as he walked past. Besides, she had a sleeping elixir with her. One whiff, and the guard would be out like a light.

Queen Regan was fast asleep when the door to her chambers creaked open. The guards outside were knocked out cold, and Ophelia hid the sleeping elixir once again as she stepped into the room. Her eyes never darted towards the Queen. Instead, she watched the little girls sleeping peacefully in their crib beside their mother.

She had a choice to make. Which one would she carry? It didn’t matter, since they were basically the same person. Ophelia chose the baby on the left. Slowly, she picked her up and nestled her in her arms before giving her a single drop of the invisibility potion. As soon as the potion touched her lips, the baby disappeared in her arms.

Ophelia made her way out, shutting the door carefully so she wouldn’t raise any suspicion. She hurried across the hallway, her footsteps muffled by the carpets as she ran. Less than three minutes later, she was standing in a broom closet while the baby slept on in her arms.

It was a laborious task to open the secret passage and also hold the baby carefully. Moreover, she couldn’t carry a flame with her. She had to make do with her instincts alone, which was why she emerged in the dark room a few minutes later completely out of breath. She’d scraped her toe along the way, and it was bleeding very slowly.

As though her presence had already been noticed, bright blue flames erupted in the grate. Ophelia made her way carefully towards them. The invisibility potion was wearing off, and her arms were beginning to appear from the light of the fire.

The flames grew stronger as she drew nearer. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she knew there was no turning back now. Once, she’d known what it was like to carry a child in her arms. But those days were long behind her.

The baby stirred, and Ophelia stared down at her. She lifted the invisibility spell, to have one last look at the girl. She deserved that at least. Her fiery red hair glowed from the fire.

Ophelia’s mark burned once again, hotter than it ever had. The time had come. The baby began to cry, knowing what was to come. But Ophelia felt nothing as she tossed her into the flames.

Upstairs, Adaria slept on peacefully beside her mother.

*