I know that this story about Amelie has already been done loads but I hope to put my own spin on it - enjoy!
Amelie's POV:
I was a normal human girl at the time of 886 AD. France was in a time of relative peace, with our king, Charles II (who was incidentally my uncle), having 'purchased' peace from the Vikings.
I was the daughter of the older brother of the King of France. Father was always angry about how he was passed over for his childless younger brother even though he was the elder and should have became king. However, it was felt that after the suspicious circumstances regarding the death of my mother that Charles should succeed my grandfather. Father never got over it and his temper became ever worse, especially as only myself and him resided in the castle - well and all our servants.
My mother died when I barely turned ten and much debate surrounded the death. I remember it as if it were yesterday: her youthful body lying on the floor, her eyes wide and staring. She looked so peaceful, I could hardly imagine the fact she was dead. The only deaths I had ever seen were violent ones on the gallows or the one time with my grandfather: I thought that only the criminals in life were murdered or old people. My mother was neither of those two - therefore why did she die? People say she was poisoned and, although someone was charged with the murder, the main suspect was my father. The police inspectors investigating charged Ryan Butcher with the murder, much like they did much later in the Elizabethan era, charging the cook for the attemped murder of John Fisher. Before my mother died, father was rather nice. He cared for me and treated me well. However, once my mother was murdered and he lost his throne, he began to turn more violent. His moods became erratic and horrible, meaning I stayed away from him as much as possible. He liked to lament on the way he should have been king, not Charles, and if you wanted to live, you never cross my father.
As I was an only child (one of the many things my parents argued about... God, let my mother rest in peace and have mercy on her soul) and a princess, I recieved everything I could have ever wanted. I had a high class education, learning French, Latin, German and English as well as history and mathematics, with a little science and geography thrown in. I spoke four languages fluently and I was always paraded by first my grandfather, then my uncle, when foreign dignitaries came to our country and made to speak with them. My tutors had studied at the major universities in the country but what they taught me really did not challenge me. I enjoyed it so much but my preference was when I was out in the grounds. I had a beautiful grey mare named Maisie and the thing I enjoyed the most was galloping along the green hills, jumping over the logs that littered the hillside.
OoO
"Amelie, are you paying attention?" my father yelled in my ear before attacking me by hitting my head hard. I started back to him and the office where we sat, no longer dreaming of my horse and galloping over the hill.
"Yes father," I said coolly to him as he paced frantically across to the other side of the room. The room was so dark then, with no natural light able to get in - instead, candles lit the room entirely.
"Well then repeat what I have just said, now," he hissed in my direction, making my heart beat ever much faster. Adrenaline made the blood in my body pump through my veins so fast and made it boil with anger.
"You said that I must find an appropriate suitor by the end of the ball tonight, otherwise you shall select one for me," I repeated coolly and he nodded, seeming happy with my answer. Well, as happy as my father could be. He really scared me, although I would never have admitted it to him, and had done for three years prior to this... I was twenty here, and ever since I had turned seventeen he was worse than before. His mood swings were even worse, he never seemed happy and he always remained inside during the day with all his curtains closed.
He seemed to be waiting for another part to my answer and I wrack my brains for anything that I could have missed.
"You said that if I don't speak with someone from Germany, England and Spain as well as Uncle Charles you would automatically find myself a husband with no chance for me to object," I repeated coolly, hating him ever more for this. Just because I spoke five languages fluently, he thought that he could use this to gain power with other countries to try and overpower Uncle Charles.
"Very well, you have learned to listen well, a trait a good wife must have," he said with a strange gleam in his eyes. "Now child, go and prepare for this ball. After all, you must make yourself presentable – if not, why would anybody choose you?" he sneered and I darted out as fast as I possibly could. He scared me so badly; I couldn't wait to get away from there.
"Miss, can I be of assistance to you?" my personal maid, Axelle, asked me as I stalked away from his office and towards my own quarters.
"Yes, you can help me to dress now," I said, too sharply for my liking – being in close proximity with my father induced such behaviour in me. "If you wouldn't mind," I tacked on the end to make it seem less of an order. "My father has instructed me to find a suitor tonight and I must look my best, as well as speak with many foreign dignitaries."
"Miss, you will look absolutely stunning! Nobody will be able to resist talking to such a beauty!" Axelle squeaked as we proceeded towards the wing my father had allocated to me when we moved here, three years ago. I didn't want to move here, what with it being so much more overcast and dark than our prior home, but he refused to let me live alone. It just wasn't done. The issue regarding the revolt also landed me with him for the duration of my singlehood.
OoOoOo
I observed my appearance in the mirror and smiled. "Thank you, Axelle, you have done a brilliant job," I complimented my maid on my hair. It flowed in long, luscious, locks down my back and framed the soft English rose colouring of my skin. My face was heart shaped, with large grey eyes framed with lashings of lashes – they are huge in comparison to my delicate nose but in proportion with my mouth which is befitting to my facial structure. My dress was a floaty blue silk material, reaching the floor in length. It covered my shoulders but was more revealing than the dresses I have worn prior to this evening – it shows my cleavage ever so slightly. Still, I did not complain – in fact, I rather liked it!
I proceeded down the stairs and into the packed room, smiling as the entire room watched my arrival in the room. I nodded and curtsied to various men before I met with my friend in the corner of the room.
"My lady, may I have a dance with you?" an elderly man wheezed to me in English – absolutely no chance would I have ever married him!
"I apologise, I am waiting for someone already," I said as politely as I could but his eyes turned… red? He then stalked away and my friend fawned over me as I turned. I looked around the room and searched for possible suitors – yet the possibilities were thin on the ground.
The majority of them were elderly – I didn't want to be married to a man who would die within the next few years, no matter how much land he had. Of the others, some looked so stuck up and full of themselves that if I were close to them for more than a moment, they would not make it through the night alive.
However, I knew that there were certain dignitaries I had to meet - Lord Corcuera-Ruiz of Spain, Herr Dalheim of Germany, Henry Bulsworth of England as well as my uncle. It was a big event when my uncle came out in public, given he preferred to stay in solitary surroundings since the death of my aunt thirteen years ago.
"Madamoiselle, tu as parfait!" another stunning breed of man said to me, his voice wheezy with excessive alcohol intake and smoking of cigars over the years.
However, one lesson my father drummed into me was to never be rude. This would only make them more hostile and less likely to accept my father when he tried to overtake the throne. Father never realised that he was not next in line to the throne... It was me. Uncle Charles informed me of this many years ago as he ascended the throne, saying he wanted a strong and successful woman like myself as his heir nor his older brother who constantly wanted the throne. It would have given him more chance to 'off him' and definitely more motive.
"Merci beaucoup," I managed to get out of my choked throat as his hands moved perilously close to me.
"Tu aimerais danser?" he pressed and I shook my head.
"Non, monsieur, mais merci pour le offre," I said as I moved away as quick as my dress would allow.
That was scary - and as the most prominent woman in the room, who knew how many more of them I would have to meet? I walked around slowly, looking directly for Lord Corcuera-Ruiz so that I could get the most dreadful encounter out of the way first. Last time I saw him, he tried to grope me - at least here we are in a public place. And my uncle will assist me, if my father deigns to not bother.
"¡Hola!" I exclaimed as I met the man I had been searching for. "Como estas?"
"Bien, y te?" he replied, sounding intrigued to see me.
"Bien tambien," I answer, wondering what on earth I could discuss with him.
"Te gustaria bailar?" honestly, what was it with all these old men and wanting to dance?
"No, senor, tengo que ver mi tio - quizas mas tarde?" I replied, knowing I would deliberately avoid him all night if he agreed.
"Si, senorita, mas tarde," he agreed, his smile making his moustache rise and fall heavily. His paunch overhung his trousers dramatically and I saw no possibilty of me being able to ever get close enough to dance with him.
As well as searching for the other officials I had to meet, I also scoured the scores of people for possible suitors. Yet this seems to be a party for old men as I only saw one man looking under thirty and he was quite possibly the vainest man you could ever possibly meet - he was my mother's second cousin and every inch the materialist. He came after me, only for me to push him away, yet his charm and looks didn't work on me... The only thing I saw was his obnoxiousness and hatred for those better than him.
Father must have deliberately only selected invitees who were old and balding: exactly what I didn't want. I was already marrying for convienice rather than love, so why did he have to only invite those who's land he could then claim for his own? Truly disgusting!
"Hallo, wie gehts?" Herr Dalheim asked me in his pleasant tone - he was one of the few people who seemed genuinely pleased to see you. He was my german tutor for a little while, as my progression through the language increased speed, but then he returned to his native land as Russia attacked.
"Ich bin gut, und Sie?" I asked, using the formal word for 'you' because he was a high ranking officer.
"Auch ich bin gut - wie ist deine Sprachen heute?" he asked in a pleasant tone. He was approximately 45 years of age and would have been a rather handsome man... Twenty or so years ago. Now middle age has entirely eradicated that man, with only glimmers shining through at certain times.
"Meine Sprachen sind fantastich weil ich habe der beste Lehrer gehabt!" I said, buttering him up slightly so that he may protect me from some of these unsavoury souls.
"Das is sehr gut," he complimented, draining the last of his beer. "Deine Onkel ist fur du sehen. Er ist im das Wohnzimmer!"
"Ok, danke schon," I replied before heading off in the direction of the small anti chamber called the living room. On my way, I passed Henry and spoke a few words with him.
"Amelie, how are you?" he asked with a warm tone to his voice. He was one of the youngest there, at only 28, but would never be a suitor - he was already married to a beautiful girl.
"I'm not bad, Henry, and yourself?" I replied, using his first name, as he mine, given we had been in friendly contact my entire life. He was my mother's cousin, I believe, as my mother was many nationalities. That was partially the reason I learned so many languages; so that when I met my mother's family I could converse with them.
"Rather good actually, Deidra is pregnant again with our third child so it's all systems go!" he said and I gave him a pat on the arm.
"Congratulations, I wish you every happiness," I said with warmth in my tone and he smiled.
"I shall see you again once your uncle has had a word, no?" he asked and I nodded before dashing off in search of said uncle.
"Amelie, there you are!" he uttered as I entered the anti chamber where he loitered. "Leave us!" he instructed his guards and they reacted to his request, leaving me alone with him.
"I heard you wished to speak with me, uncle?" I clarified and he nodded feverishly, looking me directly in the eyes.
"You want to be queen, I gather?" Charles said with a superior knowledge in his tone.
"Yes, uncle, that is my aspiration - to be able to rule the lands firmly but fairly," I replied, passion evident in my tone.
He chuckled slightly at this before turning away from me and facing the oil lamp, blocking much of it's light from me. Without the light, it felt so cold and scary in that room but if I were to be queen, I shouldn't let the darkness scare me. It may hold secrets in it's shadows but no secret is worth the fear of a lifetime.
"As you rightly would, Amelie," Uncle Charles continued, his laughter subsiding as he turned back to face me. "What if I told you that there was a way to guarantee you succeeded the throne after my demise?" he coughed slightly, his entire frame wracked with the slight cough.
"I'd say please inform me of this plan which entails my father never gets the throne," I said quietly, incase any of his staff were listening. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and I realised that I was wrong.
There are plenty of things to be scared about in the dark.
"Marry me," Uncle Charles said and I turned to him with an increduled look on my face.
"Uncle!" I said, emphasising the word. "Isn't that incest?"
"Amelie, I am mere weeks from death," he informed me, not sugar coating it whatsoever. "Consumption appears to have nearly destroyed me. However, I know if I do not leave a wife to succeed the throne, my elder brother will ignore my wishes for you to succeed me and rule the kingdom horrifically. I cannot allow that to happen. I need you to rule the lands - I know you can do it!"
"But uncle, marriage..." I said slowly, toying with the idea. I would fulfill my father's demand as well as cement my ruling of France in one simple move. I would be married for a few weeks at most before being able to marry for love in years to come. "If it's what you want... So be it," I decide on the spurr of the moment and he smiles widely.
"Amelie, it is not something I particularly want to do but if it secures your future, I will," he forcefully said. "If it means our country is safe, let this occur!"
Movement came from the form of the door opening. I whirled around to find Xavier, one of my father's 'hitmen', waiting by the door.
"Miss, your father wishes to speak with you in his office," he said before escorting me there, as if I couldn't find my way to the office. He didn't even say a single word to the King of France and treated him as if he were a lowly beggar. Honestly, I hated the entire behaviour of his staff towards me… especially those who seem different. They moved faster, had the same strange gleam in their eyes and looked hungry around us.
"Amelie, I am rather displeased with you," my father murmured as I sat down in front of him.
"Father, I do not understand why," I said slowly, carefully – as to not anger him.
"You have not chosen a suitor," he said angrily, moving perilously close to me and I bent back to get away.
"Father, I have," I replied with a small smile. "Simply moments ago, I agreed to marry someone."
His look of surprise was entirely priceless.
"Who?"
"Charles II of France, my uncle," I said, shooting it back into his face like a tonne of bricks. His face betrayed his emotion of shock before smoothing into a seamless look of nothingness.
He shook his head suddenly and smirked at me. "My daughter, the deal has changed," he said, making me worried as to what was happening. "No longer are you going to marry, especially not my brother… in fact, you will no longer be human."
This worried me. What did he mean, not human? I'm going to be the Queen of France - I cannot have him ruin it!
"Father, what do you mean?" I asked sharply, scared for what he meant.
He snarled a full snarl which caused real fear in me – what is he? "Father, what are you?" I asked, worried ever more for my safety.
Slowly, fangs extended from the corners of his mouth. No.
"sacre bleu!" I exhaled, standing up in fear. He was a vampire. No wonder he didn't go out in the sunlight and had so many mood swings. A vampire. My father was a vampire. And he was going to kill me.
I ran across the room, screaming, headed for the door. I wanted my uncle, my future husband, to come and scare away my father. Charles was the only one who could ever execute any control over my father... I need him. Bishop, was in front of me in a flash and grinned a scary grin.
"Now now, Amelie, manners!" he said, holding my face in his unbreakable grip.
"Are you going to kill me?" I asked him, mumbled slightly because of the way he held my face.
He laughed a short, hard, laugh and shook his head. "No, my dear, I am not going to kill you. After all, I would then be alone with no family," he said, making me even more scared, if that were possible. "No, I am going to change you, so that I never lose my daughter. Aren't you happy to be able to live forever with your father?"
Nothing had ever scared me more. I thought that when I married I could have gotten away, but I am going to be chained to him forever.
"Go to hell," I said with a fierce expression and he turned nasty. His fangs went for my neck and I screamed in agony as they pierced my delicate skin. He guzzled down my blood greedily as I felt my life slipping away – I deliberately tried to die quicker, so that I could be free from the subjection of being his forever.
However, he stopped just before death would have occurred. Instead, he laid me gently on the floor and gnawed open his own wrist. He then poured the blood into my mouth and I desperately tried to not swallow the disgusting mesh of other people's blood. The metallic taste filled my throat and mouth, but I couldn't breathe. The only solution was to swallow the disgusting liquid.
Then I blacked out.
I could feel changes occurring in my body and I was powerless to stop them – I didn't want it, but here I was being subjected to this change in me.
Finally, I was able to awaken and I opened my eyes. Everything was much sharper than before, as if I were an elderly person using a monocle to see things clearly.
Father bent over me, looking rather concerned for me.
"Child, you must relax," he said, making me want to attack. "You are new to this life – why don't you feel gratitude at being accepted to the elite life!"
I shut my eyes again and felt the pain shoot through my throat as I concentrated on it. Thirsty. That's what I am. And it is all my father's fault. He is the one who has subjected me to this life and he deserves to pay! I could not become the Queen of France now, due to his actions - he has ruined my entire hope and dream in one action.
I opened my blood red eyes and stared into his eyes.
Then I lunged…
What did you think? Wow, the writing of the language was hard, even though I study French & Spanish currently & only finished German in June! (sorry for missing accents, my phone decided to only have french accents & not allow spanish or german!)
Please review!
Vicky xx