Chapter Text
The midday spring sun shone down from the sea of light blue sky sparsely populated by clouds. Two women walked through the gates of the castle keep the pair called home, walking towards a garden that sat off to the side.
Both girls continued to walk thought the very well kept shrubbery and flower lined path until they reached a shaded bench. The taller of the women, wearing a classical maid dress swiftly brushed away a few stray leaves before offering the seat to her charge.
The other woman, wearing a well layered black gown adorned in ribbons, collapsed her umbrella she had been using for shade and sat on the bench, looking back out towards the courtyard, motioning for her maid to sit besides her.
“I’m glad we managed to get you out of that room of yours before the festivities started.” the maid said softly.
“I just wish it was less busy.” the young princess said as she watched the near constant arrival and departure of carts carrying all manner of food, refreshments and other luxuries. “I just don’t understand fathers fixation on such things.”
“Now now lady Katherynn, remember times like this are when you’re safest, everyone will be to busy with the feast to cause you any trouble.” the maid replied trying to offer a silver lining.
“I know I know Aria, I just wish it didn’t have to include you as well” the princess said dryly, she never showed much emotion, but her attachment to her maid was visible to just about anyone who saw them together.
“My lady, I’ve told you countless times, when we’re in the castle walls you’re to call me Vanessa, we never know who can read lips. My ability to serve you hinges on me keeping up this facade” the maid replied as she pulled out a flask from a satchel that sat on her hip, passing it to Katherynn.
“Yeah I know, and you know I just hate calling you that… I hate that you’re stuck living this life for my sake.” Katherynn replied, taking the flask from her maid before taking a large sip of the tea.
Ariawyn Fenmora, the real name of her maid, born to a prestigious clan of elvish monster hunters, Katherynn had heard plenty of stories from her maid over the ten years they had known each other.
She originally joined as a maid within castle Garrington under the guise of being a half-elf named Vanessa Whitehall. The Fenmora name carried a lot of weight, especially in the region the Garrington’s were located, feared by almost everyone due to their reclusive tendencies and presence signalling danger, not to mention the threat a single one could prove to even a platoon of soldiers.
Ariawyn was a proficient magic user, her magic revolving around wind manipulation, she often used it to keep a small barrier around her and Katherynn that stopped any sound escaping letting the pair talk as freely as they could.
“Guests are going to start arriving soon, we should probably get you over to your room my lady.” Ariawyn said standing up and offering a hand out to the princess.
“I suppose, how long will the party be lasting?” Katherynn said as she stood and reopened her umbrella, both women setting off down through the garden towards the far end of the castle.
“Considering the majority of guests are merchants it will probably run deep into the early morning. Though I will probably be done around midnight and of course I’ll bring you dinner at the normal time.” Ariawyn replied.
“I hope you’ll be able to stay and chat with me while I eat” Katherynn said as the pair made it closer to the almost entirely unused wing of the castle that housed the youngest daughter of the Garrington’s.
“Of course my lady” Ariawyn replied softly pressing her hand reassuringly against the princesses back.
Katherynn and her maid returned to her quarters, Ariawyn helping her charge change into a more comfortable nightgown detailed with ruffled lace and pastel colours. The pair chatted idly before Ariawyn had to excuse herself to get started on her tasks with the party, leaving Katherynn alone to the uncomfortable silence of the castles west wing.
The hours dragged on, Katherynn spending the time absent mindedly flicking through a book about monsters that Ariawyn had given her. Apart from being the princesses personal maid Ariawyn had her duties to the Fenmora’s, regularly dealing with any monster contracts in the area, and if they were close enough she would bring Katherynn along to observe.
That was partly the reason for the walk that morning, a pack of dire wolves had recently attacked a group of traders, and the leader of the pack had some sort of strong elemental infusion which lead to the contract.
Having now seen the beast in action Katherynn could easily see It had absorbed a very potent source of fire magic. The book gave some visual examples of the various stages of magic corruption in various beasts, this was what they called tier 4 corruption, smouldering fur, glowing red teeth and claws, and drool and blood that more resembled molten steel than any normal bodily fluid.
of course it was no match for my Aria. Katherynn thought to herself as she closed the book. Her mind thinking back to watching her maid in action, the beauty behind her movements and the ease at which she handled the beasts without even needing to utilise any of her actual powers was truly impressive.
“Reading anything interesting?” a voice called from the other side of the room, Katherynn looked up to see Ariawyn holding a tray with a selection of foods from the feast, as well as a fresh pot of tea.
“Wow is it seven already? Not too much I was curious about the wolf you killed earlier, something didn’t feel right.” Katherynn said thinking about the fight again.
“I’m glad you noticed as well, you’re getting much sharper, what makes you think that though?” Ariawyn replied as she placed the tray down on the girls desk and started to prepare a fresh cup for Katherynn.
“it was certainly powerful of course, but it didn’t seem to know how to use that power, and the way it moved so clumsily showed it wasn’t used to the size that sort of corruption brings.” Katherynn continued as she got out of bed and moved towards her desk.
“My thoughts precisely, as expected of a student of mine.” Ariawyn said with a teasing giggle. “So any thoughts as to why that would be the case?”
“I was getting to that!” Katherynn said with a pout eliciting another giggle from her maid. “If it had grown normally it would be more used to the size by the time it reached that level of corruption, and a contract would almost certainly have been given out far before. So the only answer would be it had to take on a powerful enough source to instantly move it to that tier of corruption, but I don’t understand how that could happen.”
Katherynn took a sip of the tea and turned to look at her maid, only to see Ariawyn practically beaming at her answer, causing a slight blush to cross Katherynn’s face.
“As a matter of fact, one of the people who was supposed to arrive a week early for the party was a very powerful mage from up north but he never arrived. a group of soldiers were sent to search but nothing showed up.” Ariawyn explained as she carved the meat off the turkey leg that sat in the centre of the princesses plate.
“But if the mage really was that powerful how did a simple dire wolf manage to kill him, even if it was already corrupted?” Katherynn asked as she started to eat away at the meal in front of her.
“That’s what has me worried, as I’m sure you know, a persons magical capabilities are tied to their soul.” Ariawyn explained.
“Which is why I cant use magic.” Katherynn interjected.
“Right, but pretty soon after someone dies their soul escapes into the ether, the only way to stop that is by trapping it with certain devices, but a beast even at that corruption level shouldn’t have been able to defeat that mage, which means?” Ariawyn proffered a question to her lady.
“Someone or thing must have beaten him and then left him unconscious and the beast came across and ate him?” Katherynn offered as an an answer.
“Exactly! But after that I’m stumped, we’ve had no other reports of monsters strong enough in the area, too powerful for bandits and I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to assault a guest of the kings.” Ariawyn said, her brow furrowing in frustration.
“Could someone be trying to frame my father?” Katherynn asked.
“Its possible, but I don’t imagine it would work, everyone else made it here just fine, including another traveller from the same court that the mage came from. She left just a day and a half after and was surprised to see the mage hadn’t arrived yet, as long as she makes it back I doubt they’d consider it an assassination.” Ariawyn continued.
“What a bizarre situation.” Katherynn said before chomping down on another bite of meat, she only ever got the meals Ariawyn could cook for her so she was appreciating the decadence of it.
“Indeed, all we can do is wait and see if anyone else shows up as missing and see if we can find anything else to go off.” the maid replied as she tapped her chin in thought.
The princess and her maid continued to chat until Katherynn had finished her meal, Ariawyn cleaned up and excused herself taking the tray. Leaving the princess once again to the silence as her demeanour changed drastically, gone was the calm disposition her maid and only friend brought her, replaced with a sombre look as she resigned herself to her fate.
She pulled out a sheet from a stack of parchment and readied her pen, it was practically automatic at this point, she had written a dozen suicide notes over the decade she had known Ariawyn. evidently none of the previous attempts had worked but Katherynn didn’t feel like she had much other choice.
Her only worry was reaching the point Ariawyn would grow numb to them, it was a conflicting feeling, her maid was the only person Katherynn had in the entire world. but at the same time she was a prison for the elf, the fate of Katherynn Garrington wasn’t a kind one, and that extended to those she held close.
Of course Ariawyn could just up and leave, but she had promised to do right by her lady, claiming it as her purpose more so than any monster hunting role. So if Katherynn was gonna free her then there wasn’t much other choice in the matter, if it was between her own cursed life that only brought them both misery and letting her best friend live an actual life, the answer was rather simple.
Katherynn finished writing the note to apologise to Ariawyn and prepared herself, grabbing a bottle of fine spirit produced in the south and putting on some shoes, before making her way out of the room she was so often confined too.
The western wing of the castle was dead silent like always, long stretches of rarely cleaned corridors, rooms gathering dust, only ever used for storage, and at the end sat Katherynn’s quarters. a door not far away lead out towards a large stone courtyard that hadn’t been used in decades, stairs lead towards the castle walls and others down to the gardens.
Making her way up to the walls Katherynn barely had to look around to see it was utterly deserted, all the guards and other staff would be busy with the party, and the north and west of the castle were built against a cliff that dropped some 100ish meters, so patrols were already exceedingly rare.
Often Katherynn would watch the stars and talk to the void, maybe tonight would be no different and she’d chicken out again. She walked along the stone path, towards her usual spot, an opening in the wall that used to be used for disposal, once upon a time.
fitting really. Katherynn thought to herself. She sat with her legs over the edge, placing the bottle down on the stone, the air was cool but not uncomfortable. Looking out over the last glimpses of the sun as it slowly disappeared.
Time felt like it had slowed to a crawl, with no sound but the occasional gust of wind or bird flying past, the light from the castle being too far to really provide any illumination. It just left Katherynn alone with her thoughts, a position she was far too sick off at this point.
“I really wish there was any other choice.” the princess said to herself as she popped the cork off the bottle watching as it flew over the edge into the dark nothingness below. Taking a deep chug of the strong alcohol, it had been a gift for Ariawyn after a contract, but she wasn’t much of a drinker. a long aged fruit liquor made of various berries that grew in the Dator republic, one of the main exports coming from the area.
“After all this time, we’re still no closer to figuring out why I’m the way I am… every time we look for answers it just gets worse, the abuse and mistreatment I can handle, but when they threaten Aria…” Katherynn took several chugs from the bottle.
“UGH IT’S SO FUCKING ANNOYING.” Katherynn yelled as she threw the bottle to the side, the glass shattering sending shards and alcohol across the floor. “Why the fuck did I have the be the cursed one, why am I the one in constant fucking pain... why am I the one who has to die…” the yelling quickly turned into a depressed sob.
“If anything they should be the ones to die, if only I wasn’t so fucking useless, if we just had anything to go off, the things I would’ve done to see their blood run cold…” Katherynn said as she solemnly stood to her feet. Unbeknownst to her she wasn’t as alone as she imagined, laying casually upon the roof of a watchtower a couple dozen feet away from the princess was a woman grinning as she eavesdropped.
Katherynn turned around from the ledge, threw her arms out to the sides and looked up at the sky.
“Maybe the curse wont be able to sustain me through such a fall… I hope Aria will be able to forgive me, if it does or doesn’t.” Katherynn said before leaning back letting gravity pull her down into the dark abyss below.
The woman joined her, swiftly pushing off from the roof dislodging several tiles as she did, Katherynn looked up as she continued to plummet watching a blurry shape rush towards her, wings sprouting from its back as it approached, the young girl closing her eyes as she braced for the crash.
The princess got closer and closer to the ground until finally the mysterious woman placed her arms under Katherynn and flapped her wings twice halting almost all momentum as she gracefully landed on her feet, holding the younger woman in a princess carry.
It took a few seconds for Katherynn to open her eyes, no longer feeling the rush of the wind against her body, her vision adjusting to the slow light as she looked up to see the face of someone she had seen once or twice recently around the castle over the last couple weeks.
Katherynn was placed down onto the ground, knelt on ground as she was unable to get to her feet due to the adrenaline of the fall was still coursing through her body mixing with the alcohol in her system to create quite the uncomfortable cocktail of sensations.
The woman dusted herself off and used some magic to create a tinted light that hovered off to the side between the two girls. Now able to get a better look the woman was extremely handsome, standing at what must have been about 6 foot tall, sharp features and a face that could only be described as princely, long ashy brown hair that framed her face well.
But the fact she was so gorgeous was secondary, the woman, from what the princess could remember from Ariawyn’s explanation, was a merchant from an old noble house who was trying to rebuild it, had just launched herself down the cliff that Katherynn had tried to kill herself with, Sprouting wings as she did.
And that meant she had excused herself from the party and had purposefully travelled to the furthest darkest part of the castle. And that meant she had heard everything Katherynn had said.
“Why did you save me?” Katherynn asked tentatively, finally making her way to her feet.
“Because it would be a waste to let you die now.” the woman said as a smirk covered her face, her voice was cold but not that uncaring, with a rasp that would make most maidens swoon. “I’ve been watching you for some time now lady Katherynn, I think you’ve got incredible potential, enough to grant you your wish of seeing your parents demise and so so much more.”
“What potential could a soulless cursed freak like myself ever have.” Katherynn replied dejectedly, tired of her hopes being raised over and over only to be crushed by her repeated failures.
“That’s precisely what makes you so special, you were never told the truth of either of your… conditions. But I assure you, with a bit of help you could become powerful enough to bring this whole world to it’s knees!” the woman said as she raised a hand and clenched it as if crushing something within.
“What do you mean help? who even are you?” Katherynn asked her brain struggling to take in everything.
“Oh silly me, my name is Lucinda Brentwood, and I’m the last vampire on this planet” the woman said with a bow, a shimmer glistening over her as she raised her face, her pale green eyes had turned a deep red, sharp fangs glistened against the light. “And I want to make you my protégée. In fact I think you’re the only one who could truly live up to the mantle.”
“I just don’t understand why, there must be any number of people more suited than me.” Katherynn said unable to get past her own self loathing.
“Because the rage and passion I heard in your heart, the hate you feel for this world is exactly what I was hoping when I first noticed you. You couldn’t be more perfect!” Lucinda said with an almost manic amount of joy in her voice.
“So I’ll give you a choice, either I’ll kill you right now in a way that even that pesky curse couldn’t survive. Or I turn you into a vampire and show you just how much power you’re truly capable of and together we can take revenge on this pitiful world.” Lucinda said watching the young princess closely.
“I’ll do it.” Katherynn said in an almost deadpan tone, almost catching the vampire woman off guard with how quick she answered.
“It’ll take some time, you’ll need a week or so for your body to prepare to be turned. try and talk to your maid about it, if you still want too then we’ll talk more once your body is ready.” Lucinda said as she stepped slowly towards the princess.
The vampire raised a hand and placed it on the princesses head, her palm resting on Katherynn’s forehead and briefly channelled some magic, Katherynn’s vision going a deep read before her body went limp being swiftly caught by Lucinda, the young girls head dropping to the side brandishing her neck.
Slowly almost sensually the vampire sank her teeth into the pale flesh, an equal give and take of blood and energy passed between the women for nearly half a minute, Katherynn’s consciousness fading before the vampire withdrew her mouth, blood freely dripping down her chin onto the princesses nightgown before her body was dropped, hitting the floor with an audible thud.
“To think that’s what that magic I was feeling was...” Lucinda said to herself as she disappeared into the shadows.
Mere seconds earlier Ariawyn had returned from her duties that night, having found the room empty except the note that Katherynn had left her. Rushing out of the room into the cool night, using her wind magic to speed herself up as she searched the empty castle grounds.
It didn’t take long to spot the broken bottle and remember it from Katherynn’s room. Ariawyn’s heart sinking as she noticed the gap in the wall near the smashed bottle, one quick peer over the edge proved her fears correct, her enhanced vision making it easy to see the body of the princess lying on the ground.
The maid swiftly hopped down the cliff, compressing the air underneath her feet forming platforms to let her safely descend the distance until she landed gracefully next to Katherynn’s body. Quickly crouching down and checking over the princesses body, she was completely unharmed, even the bite marks had healed over, and seeing the soft rise and fall of her chest was enough to make Ariawyn want to cry.
“I don’t know if you’re still here, but whoever you are, thank you for saving my lady.” Ariawyn said out loud, even with her vision there was no sign of life around, but just on the off chance she wanted to express her gratitude.
Ariawyn gathered the princess in her arms before making her way back up the cliff leaping from platform to platform.
Katherynn had been out cold for a several days, her body was struggling with something, nearly thrashing about violently even in the unconscious state, but whatever it was wasn’t illness or injury but rather something more intangible. All Ariawyn could do was stay by her ladies side, waiting for her to wake.
It gave her plenty of time to think, about what she wanted to say to Katherynn when she did wake up, about how she would ask what happened, about what they should do next. The princesses attempts were getting more regular, partly a result of her condition flaring up more often, but it was clear the clock was ticking faster to find a solution.
It had been nearly a decade since Ariawyn had met the princess and joined the castle’s staff as a maid, and not long after that she had promised to do everything she could to cure her lady of the curse.
But in all that time she had little progress to show, between the work both as a maid, and as a monster hunter, the parasitic nature of the curse and the fact that any books on soulless research were heavily forbidden, it made it near impossible to piece the puzzle together.
And until they had a real lead to go off it was impossible to take action against anyone in the royal family, as much both women dream of the day. Not only was Katherynn very regularly sick, she suffered seemingly random injuries and physically couldn’t leave the radius around the castle. All of which stemmed from the curse she was afflicted with, magic always manifesting as thorny vines that entangled the princess.
All Ariawyn knew was she needed to do everything she could to help her lady and free her of this curse.
Finally on the afternoon marking 6 days since the maid had found Katherynn at the bottom of the cliff the princess finally awoke. The days of thinking about what she would say meant nothing as all the elven maid could do was throw her arms around her ladies waist and hold herself back from tears.
Katherynn was still coming to her senses unaware of how much time had passed, but she could read Ariawyn pretty well at this point and that told her everything she needed to know. She gently pet her maids head for several minutes, hoping to provide her with at least some comfort that Ariawyn often deprived herself of.
“I’m sorry for worrying you Aria…” was all the princess could say as she continued to stroke the soft brown hair of her friend.
“You have nothing to apologise for my lady, I’m just glad you’re okay.” Ariawyn said softly as she tried to steel herself and raise her head to offer Katherynn a smile. “You must be hungry, would you like me to make you something to eat?”
“That would be appreciated, thank you.” the princess said as she thought back to her last memories before she lost consciousness.
Just who was that vampire, what did she mean by potential, and why was Katherynn not more skeptical of it all. But on the other hand what did she have to lose, her death had been her only goal and there really wasn’t too many fates she wouldn’t take over her current situation, if this Lucinda was right, if there was even a chance she could break the curse there was no other option but to take it.
Ariawyn was gone only 15 minutes or so, arriving back in the princesses chambers with a plate of sandwiches and a pot of tea. Preparing a small tray that Katherynn often used when bed bound and placing the lunch down before the frankly ravenous woman, before pouring her a cup of tea.
Katherynn listened as Ariawyn brought her up to speed, from finding her at the bottom of the cliff, to the girls movements during the coma, along with some of the gossip she overheard during the party.
After she had finished as much of the food as she could and the conversation had slowed down Katherynn decided to try and broach the subject her mind was stuck on.
“What are your feelings on that merchant who was trying to rebuild her noble house?” Katherynn asked, trying to ease herself into it.
“Oh lady Covington? I’m really not sure, she was here to build some trade agreements but then left the party rather early. There certainly seems to be more going on, she was always looking my way, I only hope she didn’t recognise me. Why do you ask? Its not like you to even remember some random noble.” Ariawyn said, confused by the sudden question.
“I’ll get to that in a minute give me some time. Aria, I need to ask you something very important, and I need you to be completely honest with me, okay?” the princess said before taking a sip of tea.
“Of course my lady.” Ariawyn replied, something had been off with Katherynn since she awoke, her mood was always dour but it felt like there was something under the surface now.
“Lets talk outside, the fresh air would be appreciated.” Katherynn said as she unsteadily made her way out of bed, her legs struggling after a week of atrophy and inactivity.
The pair walked out towards the small garden nearby the exit of the west wing of the castle, completely untouched by the gardening staff making it as isolated as the rest of Katherynn’s slice of the building.
The sun was bright, the sounds of birds in the trees, the wind rustling through unkempt bushes, it was calming for the princess.
“Aria, why do you remain loyal to me?” Katherynn asked, her words holding more emotion than Ariawyn was used to.
“Well partly because I promised I would cure you of your curse, I’m sorry it’s taking me so long my lady-” Ariawyn said before she was cut off.
“I’m not talking to you as princess and servant right now, I want to know what Ariawyn Fenmora thinks.” the princess said.
“The point still stands Katherynn, I’ve seen the pain and suffering you’ve been put through, the blind eyes and cruel words that even the lowest ranking staff give you. Either as your maid or your friend you’re someone I care for deeply.” Ariawyn answered, Katherynn’s serious expression not wavering.
“And what happens when we do break the curse? Are you still bound by your duty?” Katherynn asked bluntly, Ariawyn taken aback by the princess bringing that up for the first time in several years.
“I-I’m really not sure, I haven’t put much thought to it…” Ariawyn replied, suddenly on the back-foot. “I want to believe there’s another way, you’re unlike any other soulless in history, you can’t be resigned to the same fate.”
“And what if I’m no longer me after we break the curse? Would you still feel the same then?” Katherynn continued to ask, trying to feel out her maid’s feelings.
“Maybe, but I think it’s ultimately pointless.” Ariawyn said as she took one of the princesses hand’s between both of her own and looked her in the eye. “You’ve suffered so much and yet you’re still the Katherynn that I promised my loyalty too, if all these years of misery cannot truly break you I don’t think anything could.”
the pair sat there in silence for a few minutes, Katherynn enjoying the warmth of her maids hands on her own.
“Tell me Aria, at what cost is revenge truly justifiable?” the princess asked, finally ready to talk about her experience with Lucinda and the offer.
“I don’t think I can answer that question Katherynn, at least not without more details.” Ariawyn said unsure on where her lady was going with this.
“When I was saved I was given an offer, one I already accepted but haven’t fully completed yet. The woman told me I had potential for power, and that I would be able to break the curse, and I don’t see a reason to refuse at this point.” Katherynn explained.
“I see, is that why you brought up lady Covington?” Ariawyn asked inquisitively.
“Yes, though that’s a fake name, her real name is Lucinda Brentwood, she’s a vampire.” Katherynn said, Ariawyn’s face turning a specific kind of pale that the princess hadn’t seen before.
“I see, I think I understand. Thank you for telling me.” Ariawyn said, her voice shaking and hesitant.
“You think its a bad idea huh?” Katherynn queried.
“...No, I think she’s right actually, I told you years ago that one of the big issues was that the curse has kept you from falling to the corruption that not having a soul brings. While I don’t know too much, after all we thought vampires were wiped out several hundred years ago, they are sustained by magic, in a way not too dissimilar to your curse.” Ariawyn explained, trying to be as objective as possible.
“So then I want to ask that you remain by my side. I don’t know what will come of me once all is done, and if I do lose myself I need you to not hesitate in killing me.” Katherynn said as she gripped her friends hand, a look of determination in her eyes that Ariawyn hadn’t seen in a very long time.
“Of course my lady, my duty before we first met was to kill you after all, I’ll stay by your side for as long as it takes until that is necessary.” Ariawyn said with a soft smile, one that for the first time in years was truly returned by the princess.
Both women returned to Katherynn’s chambers to find Lucinda stood outside the princesses door.
“That noise cancelling shield is rather convenient huh, I was hoping to eavesdrop on my little protégée.” the vampire woman said with a teasing pout.
“I trust your meeting with the king was productive lady Brentwood.” Ariawyn said with a bow.
“Now now princess did no one tell you it’s not kind to spill others secrets.” Lucinda joked. “Come lets talk inside, I presume you’ll be keeping everything nice and private, miss Fenmora.” the maid simply forcing a smile and nodding in response before opening the door for the pair before excusing herself to go and make a fresh pot of tea.
The several minutes while Ariawyn was away were quiet, both women not wanting to risk talking without the maid’s noise cancellation, even if the area of the castle was almost always deserted. Instead Lucinda perused the collection of books that had been gifted to the princess by the elf.
Soon enough Ariawyn returned with a tray in hand, pouring each of the girls a cup. The tension between Lucinda and the maid was palpable for reasons lost on Katherynn.
“So I presume you’ve come to a conclusion lady Katherynn?” Lucinda asked as she studied both of the other women’s body language.
“Yes… I want to accept, but first, I want to know two things.” Katherynn replied getting a courteous nod from the vampire. “If I am capable of the power you mentioned what do you wish to do with it? And secondly and more importantly to me, I wish for Ariawyn to remain by my side, will that be a problem?”
“I have no qualms with your maid, you may choose your own allies and deal with the consequences if they proved to be mistakes.” Lucinda said plainly with a slight shrug. “as for my intentions that will require a brief history lesson.” she continued before taking a seat.
“Five hundred years ago my family were at an impasse, we controlled a sizeable amount of land in the south, had a functional closed economy, and a modest but well trained army. Many in my family wanted to negotiate with the surrounding kingdoms, hoping to attain standing as a noble house and establish trade. That ended after negotiations between several kingdoms and our patriarch turned for the worst, my family expected to be accepted and welcomed within high society but being forced to work from the bottom to get there was taken as an insult.” Lucinda explained almost emotionlessly before turning towards Ariawyn.
“And several of the nobles at that meeting reached out to the leaders of the Fenmora’s claiming the vampires to be a monstrous threat and put out an extremely large contract” Ariawyn followed up, shocking Katherynn to hear.
“Not that I particularly care, they were idiots dreaming of a simple life of luxury without any drive or passion to achieve it.” Lucinda continued shrugging again. “I left for business in what is now known as the Retis company, back then they were just trading companies fighting for survival. when I returned everything had been looted and everything else destroyed. so I decided to hibernate for a few hundred years.”
“And so it was thought that all the vampires were wiped out, so you can imagine my surprise when my lady said she was saved by one.” Ariawyn said recalling the events of an hour ago.
“Okay but that was all so long ago its a bit late for revenge.” Katherynn said as she sipped at her tea.
“Yes quite, but I don’t seek revenge against anything specific, there’s a rot deep in this world, I was hoping to awaken to find a hopeful bustling society to quietly exist within. But things have only changed for the worst, hearing the nobles and wealthy elites at that party made me sick, everyone and everything is a pawn in their games for meaningless power. My only desire is to break the shackles these so called elite have on the common masses!” Lucinda explained, her voice getting a fire behind it as she talked.
“And so you wish to use my ladies potential as a soulless to take on the power structure of our world?” Ariawyn asked.
“I still haven’t been told what that potential is…” Katherynn said getting slightly agitated.
“It’s hard to explain, very few understand what you’re capable of, but it will make sense soon. Its true I wish to use it to fulfil my wish, but its not just the power I see potential in, you have a hatred and within that is a passion.” Lucinda said as she took the princesses hand and stared deep into her eyes.
“If you were truly hoping to die that night, you would have simply jumped rather than lashing out the only way you could, you are a blank slate uncorrupted by duty or greed, born in the most enviable of positions yet never seeing a single benefit it would afford. Truly no one would be more suited to free this world.” Lucinda finished her speech turning towards the maid to gauge her reaction.
“Well I agree with your assessment of my lady. Even if your motives leave something to be desired.” Ariawyn said as she poured another cup of tea for herself and Katherynn.
“It answers my questions at least. What do we do next?” Katherynn asked eager to move forwards, finally having a glimmer of hope for the future.
“When I bit you that night it primed your body, but in order to actually transform you need to drink from me. But it wont be pleasant, you’ll have to face something within yourself that will try to keep it out.” Lucinda said as she got up and motioned for the princess to join her.
“I’ll be monitoring you the whole time my lady. If something bad happens I wont hesitate to kill miss Brentwood.” Ariawyn said in an odd but appreciated attempt to reassure the princess.
“I have no doubts about that, don’t worry lady Katherynn, it wont be anything you can’t handle, now please get on your knees.” Lucinda said with a chuckle.
Katherynn got onto her knees, her night dress splaying out onto the floor beneath her. the air was heavy with tension as the vampire pulled a sleeve back and prompted the princess to open her mouth. A sharp nail dragged along her pale delicate wrist that swiftly started to pour blood freely.
Deep red drops rained onto the young girls tongue, the taste of metal and salt melting into her tastebuds like the first drops of water after days in the desert, her eyes shooting open as wide as they could go as she tried to lift herself to get closer to the cut.
The drops became a small continuous flow as the wound properly formed, falling into the princesses mouth feeding a hunger the likes of which she never knew could exist. It was mere seconds before her need got the better of her and Katherynn lunged, her mouth latching around the source of the heavenly crimson nectar.
Minutes passed as she drank freely until the wound healed and Katherynn dropped back down, her head spinning and her breathing heavy, red stains covered her chin and down onto the soft fabric of her clothing.
“The rest is up to you my daughter.” Lucinda said as she wiped away the remnants of saliva and blood before fixing her sleeve, the princess dropping into the waiting arms of Ariawyn who swiftly moved her to the bed.
The princess lay on the bed, similar violent convulsions as she was plagued with before, both women watched on calculatedly, the tension between the pair only building more now the bridge between them was unconscious.
“How do you feel about this?” Lucinda asked trying to break the tension somewhat.
“I don’t know, I’ve been working to figure out this curse for a decade, and then you come along and suddenly have a solution that makes sense, its conflicting.” Ariawyn replied.
“Well It’s not a complete solution, the curse is still going to be there, but it’s going to make it a lot safer to break, we’re both going to be counting on you to help with that.” the vampire said locking eyes with the maid.
“So what do you understand about it? The curse that is.” Ariawyn said.
“The magic is old, I recognise it from back before everything, which must mean its a witch. But also the stench of it permeates the whole castle, I noticed it as soon as I first arrived but it’s very well hidden.” Lucinda explained her brief understanding.
“A witch makes sense, few would dare risk doing anything with a soulless, but I have yet to hear of any nearby witches, but they would have to be close for such a curse to remain so strong after all these years.” Ariawyn said as she wiped away some sweat on Katherynn’s forehead.
“So that’s our first move once the lady is fully adjusted, if we can find any information on the witch we can figure out how to break it. Look miss Fenmora, I understand your hesitation of trusting me, as I’m sure you understand mine, but the princess trusts you and that means I have to as well. I hold no ill will towards you for actions generations ago even by elven standards, lets at least try and get along” Lucinda said, Ariawyn simply nodding in response as their gazes returned to the princess.
“I’m surprised you had such a read on my ladies personality in such a short time, she really is something special, even through her suffering she never took any of it out on me, even when we first met, completely unlike her family. I wonder where she got it from.” Ariawyn said after a few minutes, taking Katherynn’s limp hand in her own.
“She reminded me of someone from a long time ago, she was a prisoner from birth inside the castle the vampires in the north held. it was supposed to be a peace hearing but it was a trap and I found her when trying to escape. I know reincarnation is impossible, at least in this case, but when I saw her talk that night it took me back to my time with her.” Lucinda explained reminiscing on the far past.
Katherynn came too somewhere else, somewhere that felt impossible, long stretches of pure dull white behind her, in front a seemingly infinite pitch black void. the border between the light and dark held open by long snaking vines that rose from deep within, the thorns digging into the incorporeal white surface, breaking its perfect flatness.
The princess sat at the edge of the border, peering inside, blood endlessly pooled around her body staining the pristine monochrome. As her existence slowly started to make sense.
“So this is the causes of my suffering, both curses that have rendered my life meaningless.” she said dryly as she traced the border of the void with her eyes. “And I guess this is what Aria meant, if these vines weren’t holding the void open it would collapse and take my sanity with it.”
the princess glanced around some more, there was nothing else just a black pool on a white canvas, the words of Lucinda bouncing around her head, when she heard she would have to face something within herself she expected some sort of fight, but to come face to face with her own existence as a monster that goes against the very rules of the world she had known for 24 years was a different feeling entirely.
“If this works, what is my life gonna look like… the power to bring the world to its knees and break the stranglehold nobility has on it huh.” Katherynn said as she scooped some of the blood into her hand watching it drain between her fingers.
The princess stood up, her lower body now completely stained red, the pool of blood around her having gotten wider and wider now waterfalling into the void in front of her.
“She was right, the world is rotten, every day I saw it, held just out of reach, the sounds of haughty laughter and entitled boasting, would I have been like them if it wasn’t for you.” Katherynn said as she reached out a hand into the void. “The way the maids were treated, the way they talked about those they deemed lesser, it made me feel sick.”
In the same movements as on the castle wall over the cliff a week earlier Katherynn spun around looking at the vast empty white of her metaphorical internal existence and down at the blood that signified her new life.
“I still don’t know if this world is worthy of salvation, or if I’m deserving of that power. But if I can even have a chance to make them suffer for what they’ve done then maybe none of that matters.” Katherynn said as she tipped herself back and fell into the void.
Red ribbons of blood traced into the air as she plummeted leading back to the entrance of the void that got smaller and smaller, steeling her resolved Katherynn turned in the air facing down towards the vast empty nothingness beneath her.