Prologue

Aranel - my name alone tell of who I am. Of what I really am. Well, half of what I am, the half I keep hidden.

I guess my mother thought she was being funny, giving a name that means 'Princess' in elvish, the language of the drow. The language of my father.

She was vampyric, a vampyric princess at that. And he was a drow prince. It's something of a Romeo & Juliette story really, only minus the double suicide. Our people don't exactly get along, but they've been in somewhat of a truce for centuries. My mother & father risked stating a war with their little romance, but they didn't care, they were "in love". at least that what she always told me. I can't say I really believe in love, it's always failed me.

When it was discovered she was pregnant, & who she was pregnant by, my mother's parent's were furious. They didn't want anyone to know of such a disgrace. They sent messengers to my father's parents in secret to tell them of what happened. They told lies to "protect the innocence of their youngest daughter". They said he'd seduced her, that he'd used her.

The problem was taken to the high priestess of the temple over my father's sect, the temple of lollith, and it was decided that he was to be executed. My mother was hysterical when she was told. She snuck out that night, and ran to the temple of lollith to plead for her lover's life.

Surprisingly enough, the high priestess actually listened to her pleas, but she had her own motives. She made a deal with my mother to spare my father's life on two conditions, he was to be banished & she was never to see him, and she must give up her first child born of a male of vampyric blood. She told me at this point she thought she'd never be with another, so she agreed and the deal was made.

She gave birth to me in secret, as far as our world knows, I was her younger sister.

I was hidden away at birth, with the excuse of being a sickly child. The truth was too much of my father showed through in me. As a small child I was made to hate my grey skin, the silvery dot marking radiating in a triangular shape from under my eyes, the line of them forming a slash through my forehead starting in between my eyebrows, the crossbow-like shape they create on my chest, the crescent shape they create on my lower stomach, and my lower back, I hated them all. I hated the blood red color of the spiral curls of the hair on my head. I hated the blood red color & the slitted pupils of my eyes. I hated it all. I was six before I could successfully control my changing abilities.

I remember being so happy the first time I looked in the mirror after days of practice & saw my blood red spirals had turned a silvery white, my skin a pale creamy color, my eyes a light grey. But unfortunately it took a while for me to learn to maintain it. It was possibly the happiest day of my life the day I was able to leave my room & wonder the grounds freely.

And for the first time all was well. I was able to spend as much time as possible with my mother. (even crawling in her bed & sleeping beside her sometimes.) That was our world, my mother's & mine. Sure, people talked, wondering why such a lovely young woman would spend so much time with her child 'sister' & not be looking for a suitable husband, but it didn't matter. We had each other, that's all that mattered. I had her to myself for three years.

Then, he came.

My mother was one of three daughters. Her mother had been unable to conceive again after giving birth to my mother. So a deal was made with one of our allied kingdoms who had only sons. They were to take one of our princesses to marry one their princes, & give us one of their princes to marry one of our princesses. The one chosen was my mother. She protested at first, until she met him. He was a sweet, kind, & caring man, but a very strong man too. She had even told him the about me, that I was her daughter, & he still wanted her.

My world was threatened. I wanted nothing to do with him. He often brought me toys, games, flowers, & whatever else he thought I might like while he was dating my mother, & despite myself I started liking him. I was ten when they were married. It was a happy occasion, but sadly not long after my mother's father's heart gave out, & her mother withered away within months of his death. My mother & her new husband were now king & quean.

But life kept on moving swiftly.

I soon began to think of my mother's husband as my father. He was a good man, he loved my mother & he made her happy. We were a family. Everything seemed perfect for the next four years of our lives. Everything was perfect, until my mother became pregnant.

I remember that day well. I don't know how, but it wasn't long before the high priestess of the temple of lollith found out & sent messengers to see my mother & discuss her debt.

My step-father's reaction to the new scared me, When my he found out what she had done, & what I was, he didn't say a word, he just walked out of the room, walked out of our lives, forever it seemed. We would still see him around, he was the king & my mother, the quean, but he never so much as looked at ether of us if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

I was by my mother's side every moment of her pregnancy. I was there when she went into labor. I was there when the messengers from the temple of lollith came to take my baby sister not five minutes after she was born. I remember my mother crying a lot, and as the drow messengers were taking her child she called to them "Her name is Sarviana..please, call her Sarviana!" I fell to my knees my mother's side, in tears myself.

My mother was never the same after that day. I never saw her smile ever again. She hardly ate, she moved like a ghost through the castle & it's grounds. I saw her wilt away a little more each day.

I was fifteen the day my mother was buried.