READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUING ON!
This story takes place after Last Sacrifice and starts about mid-season 2 Supernatural – about the end of the episode entitled Playthings. That's one of my favorite episodes – heehee. Tell me how much you like Ari, guys! This being the prologue is really an introduction to the character.
Full Summary:
Moroi are elemental beings, wielding one of five elements – Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Spirit. Dhampirs are a cross between Moroi and humans and form one of the world's most formidable armies – the Guardians. So it's understandable that Heaven and Hell both desire the two species for the prophesied Apocalypse to come. And of course, no self-respecting Moroi or dhampirs would agree to become a pawn in such a battle.
St. Vladimir was not just a spirit-wielding Moroi – he was the first Moroi prophet, who saw this future for his people and, in spite of Anna's pending insanity, he formed the Sânge Legat (Romanian for Blood Bound).
The Sânge Legat was a Moroi society of paranormal hunters, consisting of members of the twelve royal families and their guardians. They swore an unending oath to the current monarch and to the church, bound in compulsion-bearing tattoos – the first of their kind. These tattoos, while allowing the members to do their duty, forbade them to speak of Moroi workings among humans, or of the Sânge Legat around the Unbound, as the members call non-members – unless that Unbound is the current Moroi monarch and the royal guardians.
Werewolves, wendigos, vengeful ghosts, demons – you name it, I've seen it. Shark-mouth vampires and Strigoi, too. Sometimes I'm outmatched – that's why Pandora and Jaime are always with me.
My guardians. Pandora Lewis and Jaime Waters. They're sworn to protect me, just as I am sworn to protect humanity and the Moroi nation as a royal and a fire-wielder.
I am Lady Ariadne Szelsky, granddaughter of Ariana Szelsky, daughter of Lady Polyxena Conta (formerly Szelsky) and Lord Malcolm Conta. I am a Moroi and a hunter. In this combination, I am a member of a very exclusive club of Moroi royals who swear an oath to the current Moroi monarch and Heaven to protect our own and humanity while remaining unnoticed by the masses. We are given permission to use our compulsion whenever it is required, despite its status as a taboo.
My grandmother recently took part in the tests to become the next monarch, after Queen Tatiana was murdered. She did not complete the tests, however, and the Dragomir princess, Vasilisa, took the throne after a younger sister of hers was discovered.
Oh, if you're wondering why I bear my mother's maiden name rather than her married name, it's because I'd rather be associated to my grandmother. My father doesn't like the fact that I'm never at Court and has threatened several times to wipe my bank account. It is because of Grandma that my account remains the way it does each and every time Daddy makes those threats.
With the election of a new monarch, Queen Vasilisa the First, I find myself forced to trek back to Court, face Mom, Daddy, and my older siblings, gather with the rest of the Moroi society of hunters, swear an oath to the new queen, and get my grandma's advice. This is going to be delightful.
Oh, well.
At least I get to actually drive in this time – in my lovely Twilight Turquoise 1965 Ford Mustang convertible. Grandma recommended that I get my own car – so I did! She's a real beauty.
~~~~~Third Person~~~~~
Ari loved driving – almost more than she loved salting and burning a ghost's bones or destroying a werewolf that had been plaguing a community. She just hated having to go to Court.
She drove up to the gates and honked twice, smiling sweetly at the guardian who came to greet them while she rolled down the window.
"State your name and business," he said, remaining completely official.
"Lady Ariadne Szelsky and Guardians Lewis and Waters, here to speak to my parents, Lady Polyxena and Lord Malcolm Conta, my grandmother, Lady Ariana Szelsky, and to the new queen," Ari said lightly, flashing her fangs purposefully.
The guardian nodded, glancing at Pandora in the front seat and Jaime in the back before he added, "We need to do a search of the car, Lady Szelsky. Following recent incidents, we've got no choice."
"You don't need to search my car," she replied, rolling up the right sleeve of her shirt, baring the Sânge Legat tattoo – a snake wound around her upper arm. "You know this tattoo, if I'm correct?"
The guardian's eyes widened as he nodded. "You are quite correct, Lady Szelsky – I do not need to search your car." He gestured to the other guardian behind the gate, who started pulling one side open, while he himself ran to open the other side.
"It takes a lot to shake Alex Drake," Pandora said, "but any mention of the Blood Bound and he runs like a kicked dog. Congratulations, Ari."
"It's nothing – nothing at all," Ari said, driving through the gate with a smirk. She knew that Sânge Legat was a rather big deal among guardians in only rumors. It had been Pandora and Jaime who had in fact led her to the rumors, which had led to her taking the oath and receiving what the Sânge Legat called Snake's Privilege – choice of guardians from the group. There had been only two she could have accepted, and they now accompanied her everywhere.
As Ari pulled up to her parents' house – a three-story townhouse near the center of Court with a small garden full of roses and a glaringly red paint job – Pandora and Jaime both gagged. Ari simply rolled her eyes, shifting into Park and shutting off the vehicle. "I want to be here even less than you two, so just be quiet, please. I'd rather have a peaceful interaction than another fight, especially considering that the three of us are essentially trained killers. All right?"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. We'll leave everything but the stakes in the car, too," Jaime said, putting his silver-bullet-loaded handgun on the floorboard of the backseat and sliding it neatly under the seat. Pandora, along the same vein, pulled her silver knife from her boot and removed her own handgun full of silver bullets on the floor.
"Bring the holy water flasks, though, just in case," Ari said. "I'd absolutely love it if I could pull an exorcism on my dad – or Ty, for that matter."
Ty was short for Astyanax, the name of her oldest brother, who had taunted her since she had specialized in destructive fire. She was the only one with a purely destructive element in the family. Her mother and Zephyrus had both specialized in earth; Ty had specialized in water; and Malcolm had specialized in air.
While she passed the garden, she brushed a fingertip across the petals of one of her mother's prize-winning roses, leaving a trail of singe behind. Then, just out of interest of the dramatic factor, she brought the finger to her lips and blew across it, like an old west gunslinger with his six-shooter pistol.
"She is going to kill you," Pandora said, smirking.
"Like I give a damn," Ari replied, knocking on the door. Zephyrus pulled the door open and hugged his baby sister, laughing.
"You came back," he said.
Ari, after the initial ack at a surprise hug from the favored sibling, hugged him back and kissed his cheek. "It's a short visit, Zeph," she said softly. "Just to check in with Mom and Dad, meet with the new queen, all that good stuff."
Zephyrus had been considering joining Sânge Legat since his little sister, before accepting the tattoo that marked her oath, had told him what she knew of the society, but when he saw the tension it had created between Ari and their parents, he'd changed his mind. When he saw his once-insecure little sister change into a confident warrior for the greater good, though, he began to reconsider.
"Talked to Lindsey lately?" Ari asked, jabbing Zeph in the shoulder. Lindsey Ozera was the recruiter-of-sorts for Sânge Legat, who had crafted the tattoo on Ari's arm and often sparred with her protégé.
"Yesterday, in fact," Zeph replied. "She said she'll ask the superiors about my application and find out if I can join."
"That's good! Now, are Mom and Dad here?"
"Yeah, and they are not happy."
As Zephyrus spoke, Lord Malcolm Conta approached the door, behind his son, his crystal blue eyes hard. "You said you wouldn't come back until the holidays," he said.
"I'm aware of that, Dad, but you know that I have a duty."
"And it's something you can't tell us about."
"Exactly. I just wanted to come see you, let you know I'm still alive, say hello to Zephyrus, and then take care of what I am required to do. That's all. Tell Mom I said hey."
"You got it, sis," Zephyrus said, hugging his little sister again. "See you at Christmas."
"Bye, Zeph."
The throne room. It was where all Sânge Legat oaths had been made since the Moroi Court had moved to Pennsylvania, despite the archaic feel of it. Ari had always loved the place.
The doors, watched vigilantly by royal guardians, opened to permit Ariadne, Pandora, and Jaime, who wore evening wear that bared their tattoos – Pandora and Ariadne in strapless midnight blue dresses, Jaime in plain midnight blue slacks and no shirt. All three were barefoot, without makeup or jewelry, which was far from the norm, especially for Ariadne, who always wore an anti-possession charm.
The other members of Sânge Legat knelt in a loose semicircle at the foot of the stairs before the throne, dressed similarly, their snake tattoos bared. The room was lit with flickering candlelight and a fire pit near its center. As Ariadne, Pandora, and Jaime passed the fire pit, each dropped a slip of paper into the flames before they approached the throne.
The eldest member of the group, Edward Ivashkov, stood from the semicircle as the three took their places in the formation, reading from an ancient leather-bound book that stood on a podium near one edge of the semicircle.
"Present before the new Moroi monarch, Queen Vasilisa Sabina Rhea Dragomir, the first of her name, two chosen guardians, and one Moroi confidante, are the Moroi and guardians of the society known as the Blood Bound, Sânge Legat," he began, inserting the new queen's name into the speech that Ari had read six times before arriving. "A society formed by St. Vladimir himself when he foresaw the role of Moroi and dhampirs in the long-prophesied Apocalypse to lend his people strength and training for what was to come. The events he foretold for our people have yet to pass; thus, we fight the beasts that we train ourselves to defeat day after day, lessening their numbers.
"The Apocalypse still lies in our future, but we do all we may to prevent it from affecting all of our people. This includes pledging an oath to the leader of the Moroi nation and to Heaven itself, for that is where our allegiance must lie, from our first hunt to our dying day, until and beyond the Apocalypse itself." Edward closed the ancient book and rejoined the semicircle, as all members began to recite from memory.
"As a warrior of Heaven and Earth, I swear to protect the Moroi nation and all of humanity by whatever means necessary, holding the Moroi nation above all else. I swear that until my dying day, I will wield my strength and power to obliterate the unnatural beasts of Hell and Earth, be they demonic or otherwise. I swear to give myself to my people and to the eternity of Heaven."
As the entire semicircle sat up on their knees, Rosemarie Hathaway leaned to whisper something to the new queen, her best friend. The two shared an easy laugh before Vasilisa stood, descending the steps to study the entire group one at a time. She spared a recognizing smile for Ariadne, Jaime, and Pandora, who had graduated two years before she had.
"I thought Sânge Legat was just a pointless rumor when I was a child, a story to entertain myself with," she said, laughing softly. "Now I see that I have been proven wrong. Lady Ariadne Szelsky – what have you got to say for yourself?"
With a grin, Ariadne stood, smoothing her skirt. "It is forbidden for members of Sânge Legat to speak of our society to the Unbound, save the Moroi monarch and those she selects to take into the secret." She glanced up at Dimitri Belikov, Rosemarie Hathaway, and Christian Ozera, grinning. "We ask that you choose carefully who to take into the secret, and that you ask the same of those present today."
"Of course. Sânge Legat shall remain the sacred and secret society it is today."
Aaaaand that's where I'll leave it for now! Thanks for reading this prologue: I'll post the next chapter ASAP!