I have redone the first two chapter because there were some inconsistencies.
Boris never dies in this fic.
1874 Transylvania
Four year old Marisa Valerious new something was wrong the moment she and her mother arrived in the clearing. Her mother Larisa, queen of the gypsies, wife of Boris Valerious had already dismounted and drawn her sword. She was right to do so, as a healer Larisa had heeded the call of the miller who had begged her to see his seriously ill wife but there was no one to meet them. In dangerous Transylvania this signalled a trap, especially if you were a Valerious.
"Stay close sweetheart." Larisa told her daughter pulling her daughter behind her and slowly opening the door.
A blood bath. The miller his wife, their four children. All torn to pieces. Larisa tensed this was a trap. Marisa found herself thrown in a cupboard, at first she thought it was a vampire but then realized it was her mother.
"Stay here" her mother ordered Marisa sensed this was not a game "whatever you hear stay in this cupboard. If I'm not back my dawn tomorrow run to your father". It was not dark but cloudy enough for vampires to attack. Marisa nodded terrified.
It wasn't long before she heard screaming. A child of the Valerious, Marisa was already used to death, even if at her young age she didn't understand why. She'd lost uncles, aunts, cousins and countless ancestors she had never met, virtually no Valerious died a natural death. Even at five years old Marisa knew she would die in battle with vampires but that did not detract from the horror of knowing that, as the screaming stopped that her mother was dead. Marisa fingered the silver crucifix round her neck and pulled a small dagger from under her skirts, because she was a child didn't mean the vampires wouldn't hurt her. They had pulled her cousin's new born son from her arms and drained his blood before killing his mother, they would kill Marisa without a second thought.
Marisa waitied for what felt like hours but in reality it was about twenty minutes and she ran. It was dark and that meant danger but Marisa didn't care she was a frightened child and she wanted to get home.
But Marisa had never been out at night before, she was lost and didn't know how far in the opposite direction she was running, not did she see the gorge. She fell screaming and landed with a sickening crunch.
The girl opened her eyes her vision blurred her head hurt and she felt sick. When she could see straight which was hard in the dark she realized her left wrist and leg were broken. She was probably covered in cuts and bruises but couldn't see in the dark. More frighteningly she didn't know where she was.
Looking around she saw a figure in the distance. It was a woman. "Hello?" the girl called out. The woman glided over at an inhuman speed.
She was extremely beautiful. With long red hair and pale flawless skin. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled with red lips. Alarm bells started ringing in the girl's head but having never seen a vampire in human form she didn't know why.
"Where am I?" the girl said.
The woman lifted her up "what's you name child?"
"I don't.. know" she said then panicky "I don't know who I am".
The woman reached her hand up to touch the wound on the girls head she ran one finger down the gash before putting her finger into her mouth and sucking. "You're hurt" the woman said, the girl didn't know how much danger she was in, nor did she know this was the woman who had killed her mother less than an hour ago.
"Are you my mother?" the girl asked, years later she would discover these words saved her life. Aleera was often considered the most heartless of the brides but she longed for children as much as the rest of them.
"No" the woman said sadly, her own children lay dead. Could she, could she have this girl? No one was around, the girl couldn't remember anything. Why not?
"Aleera" the girl assumed this was the woman's name and two white bat creatures with women's heads landed beside them, one blonde, one dark. They turned into beautiful women, as beautiful as Aleera. The girl struggled in fear but Aleera was surprisingly strong, she was also cold as ice.
"Don't run child, I may not be your mother but I can be if you want." Aleera said before turning to the other women.
"I want her" she said to them. "We can't have our own children and she has no family, she can't even remember who she is she hit her head and she's sweet, such a pretty little thing".
The dark haired woman took the girl from Aleera "She is lovely, like a doll. She's human but I so long for a child, Marishka?" she asked turning to the blonde woman to ask her opinion.
The blonde woman stroked the girl's cheek, "I want her too, she's so innocent, so young, but the master."
"You're not human are you?" said the girl but she wasn't scared anymore.
"No I am Verona, this is Marishka and you have met Aleera." Normally these names would have met something in this part of Transylvania but the girl remained confused this added to the temptation the brides had to take her for themselves
"You really don't remember anything do you?" Marishka asked amazed.
"No but I'm sure I'd remember you three, your so beautiful" the girl said with a child's sincerity.
"Have you got a name?" Verona asked.
"She doesn't remember" answered Aleera.
"Katerina" said Verona.
"What?" the girl said.
"When I was alive I had a daughter called Katerina, she died when she was a baby. All my children have died, but you will live. I promise you."
The brides took to the skies before Katerina knew it and she clung to Verona's back in fear at being so high.
A tall, dark haired, pale man stood waiting for them on the battlements. Katerinbe definitely felt afraid of him. He opened his arms but looked surprised when the women did not run to him.
"So cold my darlings?" the man asked sounding almost amused, then he saw Katerina on Verona's back.
"Her names Katerina, we want her" Aleera said unsteadily, Katerina could tell they were afraid of this man.
"Katerina?" he asked Verona raising an eyebrow.
"She has no memory so I gave her a name" Verona said defensively.
"Come here child" the man said.
Katerina tried to walk but fell. The brides all rushed forward to help her but the man barked "stay".
He picked up the girl, she was quite pretty he could understand why the brides wanted the child after so long without their own. Then his eye caught the silver cross round her neck, he recognised it but said nothing and removed it without the child noticing. She was five years old, in pain and confused so she trusted the brides. The cross was of the fashion worn by the Valerious few other's around here could afford the silver. To have a Valerious as insurance against anything going wrong, that was useful.
"Her legs broken" he said giving no indication of his thoughts "and her wrist, and these cuts need cleaning before they get infected. Have her but don't come crying to me if she dies because you don't nurse her properly or forget to feed her." Then he threw her like a ragdoll at the brides.
So Princess Marisa Valerious became Katerina, the daughter of Dracula's brides.