Her Vampire Prince

Lady Beatrice was restless and uneasy. She was impatiently waiting for the midwife. Her baby bump was hidden beneath layers of petticoats. "Where is she, Freda?" she screamed at her aide. Freda stood by the window. "Maybe, she is not coming, my lady," she replied nervously. She was small and muscular. Her daily attire was a loose gray coat and a pair of black baggy pants. "Why?" Lady Beatrice snarled angrily. She jiggled her small pouch of gold coins. "I have money! I'll pay her!" "M-my mother taught me how to deliver a baby, my lady! If you like, I could---oh! You slapped me!" Freda covered her reddening cheek. "I slapped you, impertinent! You are not a midwife!" "But I'm your aide! I know a female body--ah!" Lady Beatrice pulled at Freda's short and curly hair. "You are insolent!" Lady Beatrice shrieked while forcefully yanking at Freda's hair. She tried to shove down the poor helper's face but her strength was diminutive compared to the mini-Goliath. "Please, let go, my lady!" Freda pleaded beseechingly. She screamed due to frustration. Freda saw blood on Lady Beatrice silver shoes. "My lady! There's blood! The baby's coming out!" "What? The baby!" Lady Beatrice felt the heaving of her body. "My back! It's painful! Freda! Help me!" "Yes, my lady! Lie on the bed!" Freda urged her towards the bed. She ran into the kitchen. She always had a large pot of water over the fire. She expertly poured hot water on a large basin. When Freda went inside, Lady Beatrice was on the act of pinching the nose of the baby! "Lady Beatrice! What are you doing?" Freda pushed the younger woman and picked up the baby. "Your child's a girl!" she exclaimed pleasurably. "Darius will kill me if he saw the child! I need to kill that brat!" "No!" Freda washed the baby and wrapped her in a white thin sheet. She put the baby in a basket, far away from her mistress. Lady Beatrice got up shakily. Her bloodied gown was sticky and smelly. Freda went to her hurriedly. She zipped down the pink gown and helped the mistress peel it off. She bundled it together with the white petticoats. "Give me that brat!" "No, Lady Beatrice! What would your father say if he saw you right now?" Freda mentioned the Lord Bruno, the sadistic father of Beatrice. The lady stopped suddenly. Her pale face went ashen. She had tasted her father's sadism many times. Her arms folded in front of her naked body. "What will I do?" she asked helplessly. "Darius will kill me and the baby! Might as well kill it now!" "Let us go home, Lady Beatrice! We will raise the baby!" suggested Freda. "I have an idea! Why not raise the baby yourself? I'll give you money!" Lady Beatrice rummaged through her closet. "Here! Take this!" She took out a large money bag and offered it to Freda. "Make the baby yours!" "No one shall believe me, my lady! Look at me!" The aide looked like a small bouncer in a bar. "Even a drunkard or a blind man would not make a baby with me!" "You don't understand--go away with the baby! Take the money! Now!" Lady Beatrice acted fiercer. Her long hair was unkempt. Her eyes were wild. "Go! Or I'll kill the brat!" she snarled like an animal. "Okay, okay! I'll go away with the child!" Freda was frightened when Lady Beatrice picked up a knife. She gathered the bundle closely to her chest and plucked the money bag from the lady's hand. "Goodbye, my lady!" Her voice broke when she went out the door. The night was welcoming compared to the cruelty inside the house. Lady Beatrice was Freda's ward ever since she was born. Their age difference was twelve. Freda was sold by the parents as a slave. They were inseparable until now... Freda's tears overflowed to her wrinkled cheeks while she ran away. She stopped walking when she was in the heart of the forest. She heard weird cries of birds everywhere. It was dark everywhere. The baby started to cry. She was hungry. She suckled her fingers noisily. "Oh, poor baby! You're starving!" Freda wiped away her tears. "We must find you some milk. We went away to a different direction. I'm sorry!" From somewhere, a man appeared with a lamp. He was old but his body was well-built. "Ah, the little dhampir needs milk!" "Yes! Do you know where can I buy milk?" Freda was desperate. She was tired but she vaguely registered the strange word. "What did you call the baby?" "Come! There is free milk for the dhampir!" He commanded Freda when she hesitated on following him. "And there is free food for you, woman!" "Milk and food... Okay..." One step at a time, her weary legs followed the still agile old man. He lighted Freda's way. When she stumbled, he supported her. They came upon a large structure. It was in the middle of the forest. There were guards from the trees around it and from the building itself.  "Who is that, Master Ammad?" "A dhampir baby!" the old man replied aloud. "Hurrah! A new member! Hurray!" The shout reverberated around the guards until it reached the interior. Inhabitants inside came out: men, women, and children. Master Ammad raised his hand and the noisy welcome stopped. "I am Ammad Chorro. Head of this group. You will have the free milk and food as promised." His voice was rich and deep. "But I will request one thing from you." "What is it?" "May we see the dhampir?" His dark eyes were compelling. His request was soft-spoken but sounded like a command. "D-dhampir?" "Isn't she the daughter of Lady Beatrice from the land of Lord Bruno Luettgen?" "Y-yes... How did you know--?" Freda could not continue her question when Ammad raised his hand again. "And her beau is none other than the handsome Darius Brioc!" "Y-yes..." "Didn't you know that Darius Brioc is a vampire?" "V-vampire..." Freda parroted again in disbelief. "The baby is half-human and half-vampire. Therefore, she is a dhampir!" Master Ammad took the baby from Freda's numb arms. He showed her to everyone. "She is the daughter of Darius Brioc to Lady Beatrice Luettgen! We will raise her!" His shouted words were faint in Freda's ears as she lost consciousness.